In early 1970s I was a student of Fine Arts in Indian Art College, Calcutta. I learnt different mediums set within the academic syllabus in Western technique under the careful guidance of renowned painter late Bikash Bhattacharya. In late seventies I first went to visit Santiniketan where I encountered some of the magnificent creations in modern Indian art. At Kala Bhavana I saw the ceiling murals by Benod Behari Mukherjee at boys’ dormitory and the monumental sculptures in concrete by Ramkinkar Baij. I also saw the epic mural titled ‘Medieval Saints’ by Benod Behari at Hindi Bhavana and many original works by Rabindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose and other masters at Viswa Bharati's museum collection. At that point I acquired a new vision and started my journey as an artist along the path of the master visionaries. Frequent visits to Santiniketan and doing outdoor works in nature became one of my most favorite art practices. My own art school Bihan became a vibrant platform to learn and experiment in various fields of creative expression with the young students. In early eighties K. G. Subramanyan – the noteworthy disciple of Nandalal, Benod Behari and Ramkinkar – joined Kala Bhavana as the professor. Gradually I got acquainted with his vast artistic experience, huge body of works in different mediums, beside listening to his lectures and reading his books. Most of all I got deeply enthused by his endless endeavor to explore new mediums removing the barriers between art and craft. His wise advice inspired me to explore new and unconventional mediums and since then I have been practicing vegetable color on acid free hand-made paper and cotton fabric, enamel paintings on metal sheet, ceramic clay modeling other than acrylic on canvas.
Regarding form and content I wish to quote K. G. Subramanyan from a recently published interview. He says, "I do not know about any difference between form and content. The acquired form is itself the content of the work. There is no conflict between them."

Journey as an artist

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."- Mother Teresa